Door fastener



Nov. 1, 1927. 1,647,226 I v J. A. HICKS DOOR FASTENEB Original Filed Jan.,23, 192 3 Sheets-Sheet 1-- lllllll l I I llllll! I atfozwew ,3 Sheets- Shet 2 Zlwuemtot James H. f77'c/r51 Origipal Filed Jan. 23. 4

Nov. 1, 1927.

Novll, 1927. 1,647,226 J. A. HICKS noon FASTENER Original Filed Jan. 23. 1924 3 sheets-sheet s Patented Nov. 1, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JAMES AMOS HICKS, F ATLANTE, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE Ar? SIGNMEN'IS, TO AUTOMi-LTIC CfiB LOCTh COMPANY, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA, A COE- IPORATION 0F GEORGIA.

DOOR FASTENER.

Application filed January 23, 192%, Serial with doors for freight cars for which it particularly designed, but it will be understood that itis not limited in its use to the particular adaptation here shown, as it is capable of being used wherever it is desirable to fasten and clamp a door with a tight joint to the jainb "or abutting partition or wall,

In the drawings herewith, I have illustrated one embodiment 01' 11W invention, and. in. said drawings Fig. 1 is a view of so much of a freight car and a door as will serve to illustrate the application of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section of so much ot the side of a car and a door as will serve to show the application and operation oi the device, it being here shown as unlestened and withdrawn.

llig'. Pi s :1 view showing the device in fJOSllilOll tor setting up and clai'nping.

Fig. L is a view in verticnl section showing the device set up and clamped.

Fig. 5 is a view in horizontal section showing the fastening in a position simiiar to that shown in Fig 3.

Fig. 6 is a detail col ng of two views in plan and side'elevation of the nose of he operating handle.

Fig. i is a detail view showing a modification in the keeper to provide for adjustment.

Referring to the drawings by nun'ibers, l ke nun'ibers indicating lilic parts in the several views, 10 inch ates the side 01' a car, and ill a our post, or any suitable abutment. iin aperture 152 provided in the side of the car leading to a keeper 13 mounted in suitable recess in the post or abutment l1, and fastened therein in any suitable manner, as by the bolt 14.

The keeper 13 i provided. with ll'l opening 15 in its wall, and, in the present dis- No. 687,987. Renewed September 10, 1927.

closure, in its bottom Wall, which opening 15 is to be engaged by the fastening device which will be hereinafter described The construction thus tar described terms the socket or keeper on the car abutment or jamb which cooperates with the fasten mg device.

The car door 16, which may be 0t any usual or desired construction. is here shown as the ordinary sliding car door, but it will be understood that my invention is equally applicable to swinging doors, such as are not infrequently used on cars.

The car door is provided with an aperture 17 in which the fastening device operates, and has bolted by through bolts. upon its outer face, the hanger plate '18 which supports the fastening, the through bolts 19 preterably engaging a plate 20 countersunk in the rear face of the door, so that a smooth level back is provided, permitting a snug fitting joint between the back of the door and the side of the car. The back plate 20 will be provided with an aperture 21 reg istering with the aperture 12 and the eceiving keeper 13, so as to permit the histening device to be thrust into place.

The hanger plate 18 may be provided with an enclosing flange 22, shown in dotted lines. to form a protectii'ig housing for the ports to prevent their being broken oil bv side swiping. i]

T is hanger plate 18 is provided with a supporting lug 23 projecting outwarrliv therefrom, in which lug is mounted it flanged pin Q-il, this lug and pin ilorn'iing the immediate supporting means for the histoner. v

The fastener consists of a toggle frame formed of two bars 25 pivotall connected at their ends to an operating handle 26, and pivotally connected at their other ends with a grab or latch member 27, the arrangement being such that the toggle frame thus formed is flexible, and capable of expansion and contraction to throw the parts into difierent relations with one another.

The handle member 26 has projecting downwardly thereiron'i a cam engaging member 28 provided with a suitable cum riding surface on its inner edge, and living, at its end, a notch or seat 29, Preflit) from it any suitable handle member il-"i by which it may be rocked.

In the'position'of the parts'shown in Fig.

2, the fastener is. shown withdrawn, and it will be seen that it hangs naturally from the supporting pin 2e lying close to the side of the car, and if the hanger plate 18 is provided with the flange 22 housed within that flange.

When the door has been brought to position for fastening, with the opening 21 in register with the aperture 12 and the keeper 1%, the handle member '26 will. be grasped,

the device swung upward to horizontal position, and then the toggle frame thrust through'the apertures 21 and 12 into the keeper 13, with the recess 30 of the handle member 26 engaging the pin 24:, and the parts will then be in the position shown in Fig. 3, with the grab or fastening member 2'? engaged with the opening 15 ready to be tightened up. It will be seen, of course, that as the engaging hook on the grab or fastening member 2'? rides into the keeper, it will, when it reaches the opening 15, drop into that opening because of the pivotally connected toggle frame by whichit is carried.

Thedeviceis then in position for tightening, and this tightening and fastening action will be accomplished by swinging the handle Bdownwardly from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. i. This will ride the .pin 33 of the cam disk 32 along the cam riding edge of the depending handie section 28, rocking that handle about the pin 2411s a center, and tending to collapse the toggle frame. This action will result in tilting the grab or fastening member 27, as shown in Fig. 4, and the hook or engaging end in the aperture 15 will'strike the edge of that aperture and, through the connecting bars 25, the handle 26, and the pin 24, pull the door snugly to' the side or the car. "The pin 33 will ride down the cam edge of the member 28 until it drops into the seat or notch 29, where it will lock untilit is released by throwing out of the handle 34. The handle 84 may, or course, be sealed, or otherwise fastened in position in any approved manner.

The end of the handle member 28 which forms the cam riding surfacewill preferably be made of case hardened steel, and made removable, as shown inFigure 6, so that it may, if it becomes worn, be renewed. The cam pin 38 will also be formed of case hardened steel and removably mounteifi in the cam disk 32 for the purposes oi reversal. From the foregoing, it will be roen that the: fastening device, which will be made oi a length that will correspond to the :-:t:ii1dard dimensions as to thickness oi door and thickness oi wall, will ed'lectually fasten a car door in normal condition, and will, ii that door he warped, or in such other oondition that it is not snug, pull. the door closely into place and ensure a tight joint.

Another ad 'antaige, and an import-mt one. is that with the fastening which vl have do- HLIiliQCi, dili'iculties now encountrrml in opcin inn doors which have been loaded against.

or where the cargo has shifted and jams the door, may be readily overcome and the door un'lastei'ied. it will be seen that even though there be pressure against the inside o l the door to a very considerable extent, and such as would bind and preventthe throwing out of an ordinary fastener, there would be no dilliculty in releasing the .lfastcnor heroin shown. The grab or fastening member 2'? has its independent rocking movement, and the moment the cam handle is thrown out and the handle member released, the ionn-le frame may liiyiohkiid and the grabtl'i tilted clear oi? the edge of the aperture .15. as shown in Fig. 3, the toggle "frame lifted, and the fastening readily withdrawn without regard to pressure against the door tending to bind the parts.

is shown in Fig. 1, :1 door may, of course, be provided with one or more oi these :lastenors. Preferably, as shown in Fig. i, there will he a fastener for both the trout and t is rear edges of the door, that both ends of the door may be tightly clamped and a snug joint ensured. The top and bottom tracks and the door lllilllQl'ti. with which ear doors are provided, tend always to hold the top and bottom of the door. and warping and gaping of the door ordinarily take place the front and back edges.

in handling certain mnnmodities, such, for cruimple, as lioul', where it is highly desirable that n'ioisture, due to driving rains, shall not 'ienetrate, the fastening device hero shown is of particular value, for the litiii'dn between the front and bark odn es of the door and the car may be sealed with paper. or otheriabric, as is customary, and then, by clamping the. door in the manner do scribed, a weatherproof ioini. can be provided. the use. oi this device, car doow e so eliectually fastened a nd such t e-id 3' provided that the n'actice of clea. up; the doorsor nailing them. which is now resorted to where warping has separated the door and the body of the ear, and which is a (.lestructive practice, is done awzrv with.

Under certain crmdition it may beconn-z desirable to adjust the 'i'jastener lll'lftilitilllf-llll so as to ensure the proper relation oi the ino grab or fastening member 27 and the aperture l5 inthe keeper. This may be done in various ways, and one convenient method of accomplishing this is shown in Fig. 7

In the construction there shown, the keeper is mounted in a recess 36 which permits it to move longitudinally so that the aperture in its wall, which. is to be engaged by the grab, may be shifted in one direction or the other. Preferably, I provide a socket 36 in which the forward end of the keeper 35 telescopes, which socket is set flush with the outside wall of the car and will hold the forward end of the keeper 35' always in proper position. The rear end of the keeper 35 is provided with a wall 37 through which passes a bolt 38 secured in any suitable manner, as by the nut 39, the rear end of the bolt being threaded into a plate 40 secured to the wall of the recess, and there held in any adjusted position by a jam nut ll. The rear end of the bolt will be formed to receive any suitable turning tool. It may be squared to receive a wrench or nicked to receive a screw driver, as shown. By this means the bolt 38 may be adjusted in the plate l0 after the jam nut ll has been loosened up, and the keeper 35 moved in either direction so as to bring the aperture 15 into proper relation to the grab or fastening member 27.

I have shown the device as applied to the vertical edges of a door, and as operating in a vertical position, but it will be clear that it is equallyoperable when applied in a horizontal position, or, in fact, at any angle.

Changes in structure or design from what is here shown may be made and other mechanical expedients, which are the equivalents of those illustrated, maybe adopted without departing from the range of my invention.

I claim I 1. In a dbor fastener, the combination of a keeper, a latch, means for engaging said latch with said keeper, and a supplemental means for shifting said latch in said keeper after being engaged therewith to tighten or release it.

2. In door fastener, the combination of a keeper, a latch, means for engaging said latch with said keeper, and independent means for shifting said latch in said keeper after it is engaged therewith to tighten or release it.

3. In a door fastener, the combination of a keeper, a latch. means for engaging said latch with said keeper, and means for rockingsaid latch independently in said keeper after they are engaged to tighten or release it.

In a door fastener. the combination of a keeper, a latch, a handle, a pivotal connection between said handle and said latch for engaging said latch with said keeper, and

means for rocking said handle and latch to tighten orrelease said latch. in said keeper.

5. In a door fastener, the combination of a keeper, a latch, a handle, a toggle frame connecting said handle and said latch, and means for expanding or collapsing said toggle frame to release or tighten said latch in said keeper.

6. In a door fastener, the combination of a keeper, a latch, a handle, a toggle frame connecting said handle on said latch and manipulable to engage said latch with said keeper, and means engaging said handle to expand or collapse said toggle frame and release or tighten said latch in said keeper.

7. In a. door fastener, the combination of a keeper, a latch, a handle, a toggle frame connecting said handle and latch, a lever, and means engaging said lever to expand or collapse said toggle frame and release or tighten said latch in said keeper.

8. In a door fastener, the con'ibination of a keeper, a latch, a handle, bars pivotally connecting said handle and latch to form a toggle frame, and means to expand or collapse said toggle frame and release or tighten said latch in said keeper.

9. In a door fastener, the combination of a keeper, a latch, a handle, bars pivotally connecting said handle and latch to form a toggle frame, a lever on said handle, and means engaging said lever to expand or collapse said toggle frame and release or tighten said latch in said keeper.

. 10. In a door fastener, the combination of a keeper having a latch opening in its wall, a latch, a handle, bars pivotally connecting said handle and forming a latch manipulating toggle frame to engage said latch with the latch openin a. lever depending from said handle, and means engaging said lever to expand or collapse said toggle frame and release or tighten said latch in the latch opening.

11. In door fastener, the combination of a keeper having a latch opening in its bottom wall, a latch, a handle, bars pivotally connecting said handle and forming a latch manipulating toggle frame to position said latch to engage by gravity the latch opening, a lever depending from said handle, and means'engaging said lever to expand or collapse said toggle frame and release or tighten said latch in the latch opening.

12. In a door fastener, the combination of a keeper, a latch, a pivotally mounted ban dle, bars connecting said handle and latch and forming a toggle frame by which said latch may be manually manipulated, a lever extending from said handle, and means engaging said lcver to rock said handle on its pivot, expand or collapse said frame, and release or tighten said latch in said keeper.

13. The combination of a door having an aperture. therethrough, a door amb, keeper mounted in said jainb, a latchp a handle; bars pi votally connecting said latch and handle to forma toggle tramepmeans on asaid door to'support saidframe in operative or :inoperative position, and means to expand or collapse said toggle frameav-hen'in operative position to release or tighteir sai'd 'latch in said keeper.

* 1e. The combination of a door 'havingaln aperture therethroughm door jamb,'a*keeper mounted thereon, a latch, a: haridle,:bars 'piv otally connecting said latch and handled and forming a latchamanipnlating"toggle frame, a pivot member :on saiddoor tosupport said frame in operative and inoperative positions,- a"lever 'on saidhandle, and means engaging said leverto expand or collapse said toggle frameand release or tighten said latch in said keeper.

15. The combination ol- {lKlOODllilVlDg an aperture, a'door ja1nb,-'a keeper anonn-ted in said-jamb inli'ne .Wvith'theaperture in said "door, "a latch, a handle, bars. connecting saidlatclrand handle and forming a toggle framebywvhich said latclrmay be shiftedto operative orinperative positions, a pivot member on said door to support said frame in operative or inoperative positions, a lever on said handle, means'engaging said lever to rock said frame and tightensaid latch in said keeper, and means on said lever to lock the lever actuating means in one position. r

16. In a doorfastener, the-combination of azkeeper, a pivoted latch, means for engaging' said latch "With said keeper, means for shifting" saiddatch independently to release or tighten it. in said keeper, after it "is engaged therewithyand supplemental means to lock .said' latchshit'ting means in: latch tightening position. V

17. "In adoor fastener, thecombination of akeeper, apivoted latch,means for engaging said latch with said keeper, means for rocking said latch on itspivot 'to release or tighten it in said 'keep'er, and means to lock said. latch v rocking means in latch tightening position.

18.111 a: door fastener, the combination of. akeeper, alatch, ahandle'forengaging said latch With said'keeper,a' pivotal connection between said handler and latch, permitting relative. "movement "between "said connected handleand "latch to release or tigl'iten said latchin said'keeper, and means adaptedto engage the handle'to lock' it in latch tighteningposition.

19,111 a doori fastener, the combination of a keeper, alatch,xa?'han'dlefor engaging said latch With said keeper, bars 'pivotally connectingsaid handle andlatch to form atoggle fra1ne,a lever'on said handle, means engaging said lever to rock saidtoggle frame "and"'release or tighten said latch in said keep'enand ineans to lock 'salid'lever and its mamas actuating means in latch tightening position. IQOeInt-a door fastener, the combination otahkeeper a latch, a handle for engaging saidlatch with said keeper, bars pivotallv connecting said handle and latch to form a toggle frame, a lever projecting from said handle, means engaging said lever to rock saidtogglel rame and release or tighten said latch in said keeper, and m eans on said lever to: engage and hold isaid latch actuating means in latch tightening position. a

:21. In: a door fastener, the combimition of a keeper,a' latchmi handle for engaging saidlatch with said keeper, bars pivotally connecting said handle mid latch to form a toggle frame, a leverprojecting from said handle, means engaging said lever to rock said 'toggle trame and release or tighten said latch-inVsaid keeper, anda notch on said lever to engage and holdsaid latch actuating means in latch tighteningposition.

:22. in a door tastener the coml'mination of a keeper, a latch, a'llandle to engage said latch with saidrlnicper, bars pivotally connecting saidhandle and latch to form a toggle frame, 1a lever on said handle, a manually operated rocker arm engaging said l ver-to shirt said toggle frame and release owtightcn said latch insaid keeper, and a notch .on: said lever to engage andhold said rocker arm in latch tightening position.

lnwa door fastener, the combination of: ailatchya latchkoepcr, a keeper en aging socket, and means for adjusting said keeper in said ESOlIliGl) relative to said latch.

24:. Ina door fastener, the combination of a latclna recessed keeper to receive said latchhav ing a latch opening in its wall, a socket innvhich saidrecessed keeper slides, and means for adjusting said keeper in said socket relative to said latch.

The combination ol :1 door, a latch carried thereby and shilftable to and tron'i locking and nnlocking positions, a door jainb, a recessed keeper having a latch re ceiving aperture inits Wall mounted on said jamb, a socket mounted on raid jainb in whichsaid keeper slides, amhmeans to adjust said keeper in said socket to and from saidlatch.

26. The combination of a door havingan aperturetherethrongh, a latch on said door shittable through said aperture to and from locking and unlocking positions, a door jamb, a socket on said jamb with which the aperture in said door may be aligned, a keeper having a latch engaging opening in its wall slidably monnted in said socket, and meansl'or adjusting said keeper to and from said latch.

27. The combination With a Wall and a door adapted to close an opening therein, oi adastening comprising a keeper secured to the'wall, a latch mounted on the door and adaptedto be positioned to extend trans t ll lllll ill? lilll'l versely of the thickness of the door into engagement with the keeper, or to depend from its support on the door, and means for engaging the latch when in its extended position adapted to orce the door into close contact with the wall and lock the latch in engagement with the keeper.

28. The combination with a wall and a door adapted to close an opening therein, of a fastening comprising a keeper secured to the wall, a latch, a handle connected with the latch and adapted to move it to and from engaging relation with the keeper, and a lock supported independently of the latch and handle and adapted to cooperate with the handle, when the latch is in engagement with the keeper, to force the door close against the wall and prevent disengagement oi. the latch and keeper.

29. The combination with a Wall and a door adapted to close an opening therein, of a fastening comprising a keeper secured to the wall, a latch, a handle pivotally connectcd with the latch and adapted to move it bodily to and from engagement with the keeper, and a cam lock adapted to be adjusted to cooperate with the handle to iorce the door close against the Wall and to pre vent disengagement of the latch and keeper.

30. The combination with a wall and a door adapted to close an opening therein, of a fastening comprising a keeper secured to the will, a latch mounted on the door and adapted to be positioned to extend transversely of the thickness of the door into engagement with the keeper or to de pend from its support on the door, a handle connected with the latch for moving it to and from a position to engage the keeper, and a cam pivotally mounted on the door and adapted to be adjusted to cooperate with the handle to force the door close against the wall and lock the latch in en gagement with the keeper.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JAMES AMOS iiIoKs. 

